Crimes: minors.

Plain English Breakdown

The official summary does not provide details on how local agencies will need to change their rules.

Crimes Involving Minors

The bill makes it illegal for adults to recruit minors into committing crimes against other minors and changes the rules about when minors can be charged with extortion.

What This Bill Does

• Makes it a crime for an adult to recruit, direct, coerce, or use a minor to influence or facilitate illegal or harmful conduct toward another minor.
• Adds penalties for using a minor as a conduit of communication to plan crimes against other minors.
• Changes the law so that if a minor threatens, intimidates, or coerces another minor into causing physical harm, engaging in sexual conduct, or obtaining images of an intimate body part, they can be charged with extortion.

Who It Names or Affects

• Adults who might use minors to commit crimes against other minors
• Minors involved in threatening or coercing others into harmful acts

Terms To Know

Extortion

When someone uses threats or force to get something from another person, like money or a favor.

Intimate body part

A private part of the body that should not be shown publicly.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not specify how local agencies will need to change their rules.
• It is unclear what specific actions minors can take without being charged with extortion under this new law.

Official Summary Text

SB 1015, as amended, Strickland.
Crimes: minors.
Existing law makes every person who contacts or communicates with a minor, or attempts to contact or communicate with a minor, as specified, with intent to commit certain offenses, including any lewd or lascivious act, involving the minor, punishable by imprisonment in the state prison, as provided.
This bill would make any
person who recruits, directs, coerces, or uses a minor to influence or facilitate illegal or harmful conduct toward another minor, or to harass, groom, or solicit any physical harm, sexual conduct, or images of an intimate body part from another minor, as specified, guilty of a felony, punishable by imprisonment in the state prison, as provided, in addition to any other applicable penalties.
adult person who recruits, induces, coerces, or persuades a minor to commit an illegal act against another minor, or to solicit physical harm, sexual conduct, or images of an intimate body part, from another minor, or who utilizes a minor as a conduit of communication to facilitate any such acts guilty of a crime punishable either as a misdemeanor or a felony.
By creating a new crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
Existing law defines extortion as the obtaining of property or other consideration from another, with their consent, or the obtaining of an official act of a public officer, induced by a wrongful use of force or fear, or under color of official right. Existing law excludes from this provision a person under 18 years of age who has obtained consideration consisting of sexual conduct or an image of an intimate body part.
This bill would except from that
exclusion cases where the minor has knowingly threatened, intimidated, or coerced another minor to
cause any physical harm, engage in any sexual conduct,
engage in any sexual conduct
or obtain an image of an intimate body part from another minor, including an image of an intimate body part that is produced by artificial
intelligence.
intelligence and depicts the identity of another minor.
By expanding the scope of an existing crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school
districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.
This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.

Current Bill Text

Download Bill PDF